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Why Local Retailers Outperform Algorithms When It Comes to Knowing Their Customers’ Needs

Digital platforms promise precision. They track clicks, monitor behavior, and categorize preferences. Algorithms now shape much of modern commerce, directing what consumers see, what products surface, and what brands rise. Yet despite this technological dominance, product discovery remains fundamentally human.

Local retailers continue to outperform algorithms because they understand context. Independent store owners and staff interact with customers daily. They hear questions. They observe hesitation. They recognize patterns. They understand lifestyle nuances. This proximity allows them to recommend products not based on probability models, but based on lived insight.

Algorithms interpret data. Local retailers interpret people.

Product discovery in independent retail occurs through conversation. A customer explains a need. A staff member suggests a solution. They demonstrate. They compare. They explain differences. This dialogue introduces products with relevance. It answers objections. It establishes trust. Algorithms cannot replicate this interaction.

Intentional curation

Independent retailers also curate with intention. Their assortments reflect community identity. Regional tastes, climate conditions, cultural preferences, and demographic composition shape buying decisions. This curation naturally elevates products that serve specific needs rather than generic demand.

Digital marketplaces often flatten discovery. Products appear interchangeable. Pricing becomes the primary differentiator. Visibility is purchased. Context is removed. Local retail restores meaning.…

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4 Critical Mistakes Emerging CPG Brands Must Avoid When Pitching a Retail Buyer

For emerging CPG brands, the journey from a home kitchen or a small-batch facility to the shelves of a national retailer is fraught with challenges. While many founders focus entirely on the quality of their product, the reality of the retail industry is that a great product is only half the battle. Success depends on your ability to navigate the complex relationship between the distributor, retailer and shoppers.

In my recent interview at ECRM’s Center Store Grocery Sessions, Shannon Peffley, founder of CPG Xperience, shared some advice for new CPG founders based on his more than 20 years of experience spanning distribution, brand ownership, and consulting. 

To ensure your brand is built for longevity, here is a deep dive into the four mistakes Shannon Peffley warns every CPG founder to avoid during the buyer pitch process. You can watch our full interview in the video below!

Executive Summary: Key Pitching Mistakes for CPG Brands

Lack of Retailer Research: Failing to visit stores and understand the specific demographic of a retailer. No Velocity Plan: Focusing only on getting on the shelf rather than how to get the product off the shelf. Pricing Errors: Engaging in a “race to the bottom” and…
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What do Retail Buyers REALLY Want? Here are 3 Pillars of Success for Emerging CPG Brands

Getting your product onto a retail shelf is the holy grail for many emerging brands. However, the journey from a finished prototype to a national retail partnership is paved with challenges, miscommunications, and steep learning curves. What do retailers actually need from the brands they partner with?

This was the topic of a recent roundtable discussion held at ECRM’s Convenience and Impulse Sessions that was moderated by Fresh Scent’s Andrew Allen. The roundtable, which included two rounds of discussions with a mix of brands and retail buyers, took a deep dive into the core of what builds a lasting, profitable supplier-retailer partnership.

Following the roundtable I interviewed Allen on some of his learnings from the roundtable discussion. The key takeaway was that brands need to focus on three crucial pillars to win at retail: Transparency, Service, and Expertise. In this blog post, we’ll dig into each of these pillars and how brands can deploy each as part of their buyer engagement.

To watch my full interview with Allen, check out the YouTube video below!

Radical Transparency: The Foundation of Trust

In the rush to secure a purchase order, many brands feel pressured to present a “perfect” version of themselves. They …

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Driving Demand with Demos: How Snack Brand Pirucream Does It

A very successful independent grocer once told me that what helps drive sales at his store was the fact that they were always “shoving food into shoppers’ mouths.” He was a huge proponent of demos – after all, there is no better way to drive trial of a food brand than by actually having people taste its products. So he teamed up with different brands each day, as well as with local farmers, and hosted demos.

At ECRM’s recent Winter Snack Session, I ran into Simone Luke, Head of Sales for North America at RangeMe Premium & Verified subscriber Pirucream – a brand that has spent the past five years expanding its Venezuelan rolled wafers into the U.S. market – and learned that she was planning to scale up its demo strategy from 250 events in 2025 to more than 500 this year. 

During our video interview (see below), Luke unpacks some of the best practices she has learned from hosting all of those demos, and shares insights on how brands can get the most out of their demos. Here is some of what I learned.

Quality is the catalyst for tasting

Luke

Before you book a demo, first things …

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Price is more than a number – it’s a signal. It tells retailers where you stand and tells customers what to expect. In independent retail, where shelves aren’t flooded with endless options and where relationships drive recommendations, your price speaks volumes about your brand’s value.

Set your price with purpose. Independent stores don’t demand race-to-the-bottom pricing. In fact, they support premium positioning, especially when the product delivers a clear benefit or carries an authentic story. These retailers thrive on curation, not competition. They want products that justify their place, not those trying to be everything to everyone. When you price for value rather than volume, you’re aligning with what independent stores do best: serve thoughtfully, not massively.

Don’t cut price to drive velocity

Resist the temptation to cut price in pursuit of velocity. Big box chains often force brands into a cycle of perpetual discounting, which may create short-term movement but long-term erosion. Undercutting your brand to chase sales rarely ends well. It trains the market to expect less and accept less. Independent retail offers a smarter path: protect your price, protect your margin, and elevate your product through positioning, not slashing.

Promotions still have their place, but they should …

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How RangeMe is Using AI to Supercharge Product Discovery for Retail Buyers

With approximately 30,000 food and CPG products launched each year, the challenge for retail and foodservice buyers is finding the right products amidst this vast number of possible choices. RangeMe’s Immediate Opportunities have helped buyers from retailers like convenience store giant Casey’s streamline their product discovery by providing a means for focusing their product discovery efforts, but even these can result in hundreds – if not thousands – of submissions.

To take things one step further, RangeMe is leveraging artificial intelligence to transform how buyers review applications for their Immediate Opportunities. By aggregating disparate data points into concise, actionable summaries, RangeMe is now helping buyers boost their capabilities of finding the absolute best products in record time.

What Are RangeMe Immediate Opportunities?

For those unfamiliar with the term, Immediate Opportunities (often used interchangeably with Limited Time Campaigns) are specialized sourcing initiatives where buyers put out a call for suppliers to fill specific needs. Whether a buyer is looking for innovative new products to refresh an existing assortment, seeking private label manufacturers, or sourcing across categories for sustainably-made items, these campaigns allow suppliers to submit their products for direct consideration.

These campaigns typically run for a set window of time, typically …

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